Feeding cat food as a treat...

[Pam_x]

I am quite new to keeping chickens and i was told giving cat food has a treat now and again is a good source of protine!!
dose anyone else give this to there chickens?
luv
pam x

 

[dragonlair]

I feed cat kibble as well as my performance dog kibble to my chickens in the winter to help with extra fat and protein. They love it. I even soak it in warm water, meat or fruit juice and such for added moisture/nutrition.

 

[redsoxs]

I've heard that as well - big shot of protein to boost growth and the birds seem to like it.

 

[Deedrahsue]

I have read and spoke to my local feed store who says that is a big no no as far as allowing them cat and dog food processed foods such as cat and dog food are not good for organically grown chicken eggs or meat. Your chickies will not be considered organic if that is at all important to you. So instead for extra protein they suggested other things such as oyster shell, and I give mine black sunflower seed for birds they love the extra treat. Good luck and happy farming. )

 

[Amethyste]

Quote:
Well I think they may have given you a little bit of wrong info there....

Oyster shell is NOT anything to a chicken but calcium. Its only to help with laying hens have enough calcium for the eggs without leaching it form themselves. And honestly... not be rude or anything... but I know many feed stores have people who dont know what they are talking about either. I had a long drawn out almost argument with a feed-store lady at our local store that was adamant about not giving me all purpose pellets cos I had a few laying hens. I tried explaining to her that I know they needed the oyster shells, which is why they had a free feeding bin...but nope... I was told no circumstances should I ever feed anything other than laying pellets to my girls, no matter if they had oyster shell or not on the side. Needless to say I went somewhere else. I have also had them swear up and down that a particular chick was a pullet...and it started to crow not long later.

As for the cat food, I have been told many times by people I know who raise organically that you CAN give cat food etc to a chicken and have it be considered organic if the cat food is organic as well. But, I would ask the people on the board here who do raise chickens organically, whether or not that is true. They are a bit more reliable thatn people I know...and they wil give you a correct answer if one is to be found I am sure. My neighbors who gave me that info, are ones that think they know completely what they are talking about

However, the Sunflower seeds ARE good protein, and you can also give them yogurt, cottage cheese etc. As long as the items that are given to the birds are organic, it can be called organic.

 

[lleighmay]

Mine get cheap, generic dry cat food (30-32% protein) as a snack, especially when they're molting and during the winter. They also get BOSS and leftovers of all kinds from my family's kitchen. I once had the bright idea to mix the cat food and BOSS into their pellets in the feeders but quickly found out that they will toss out all the pellets to get to the dessert. Consequently they get limited amounts tossed in their run so it's not their main source of feed. I"m not selling chickens or eggs as "organic" so I don't worry about whether what I feed them will affect their rating as long as I know they are getting things that are good for them. Oyster shell for calcium is served on the side free-choice in a hanging rabbit feeder bin. I don't worry about grit since they are busily digging up various areas of my yard and eating the contents of their sandbox/dust bin.

 

[southerndesert]

Been using it for years...

 

[LittleDarlings]

It's amazing how similar raising chickens are to raising children. LOL Not many people have the same answers or the same reason for the same answers! It's very educational and I thoroughly enjoy reading everyone' opinions!

 

[Pam_x]

Thank you so much for your replies, i never thought of cat biscuits soaked has well..
cheers everyone
luv
pam x

 

[ThinkingChickens]

I haven't used any wet cat food, but there are some organic dry food varieties at petsmart. If you boil water and then let the kibble sit in the water until it cools it creates a moist wet food high in nutrients. I prefer kibble to canned food but it's all about the variety of food in my book.